Good TG contest map available

[Drake]

You can definitely build more than one ringworld per system, all you need is a free star. I think there are 3 or 4 systems in that map with 3 stars.

I think I ended up getting around 1.3M in resource generation from each ringworld, so with 48 ringworlds, that comes out to over 60M in resources alone just from the ringworlds!

That's pretty much the only area that I think the score could be significantly improved upon. If you can get them up faster, you can put more facilities on them. I didn't end up hitting the max for domed ringworlds, so I didn't have to worry about converting them to a new atmosphere at least.

I have no problem with making the save games available. There's really no 'secret' to it, just quick expansion, use of the AI surrender dominoe effect (as I like to call it), and doing everything I could to improve my total resource output for the endgame. I stopped research completely at about turn 100, and only built 4 facility types on my non-system enhancement planets once I finished the ringworlds and didn't need storage anymore.

And don't be faking me out with word of contest changes! I'm half-scared they'll think that kind of score can't be achieved without some kind of cheat, so therefore whatever I did will be called a cheat. Ok, I don't seriously think that, but still...

I definitely have to give credit to this board for helping me get that score. Around turn 60 or so, I was reading the board and saw a post that mentioned something I had assumed I couldn't do. Without seeing that, my score would have been 1/2, 1/3 or less of what it ended up being. I'll have to track down who that was and thank them.

Well, I think I'll stop giving hints on how to hit that score. The people I'm competing against are smart enough as it is without me drawing a step-by-step diagram on how to beat me, heh.

-Drake

[This message has been edited by Drake (edited 13 February 2001).]

[Nyx]

quote:

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I can't wait for the contest to end. Maybe y'all will zip up your saved games then and post them on the forum so we can admire them.

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We're actually looking into things like this. We have a guy taking some of the videos of our other contests and making .avi files out of the good parts and things like that. But we have a policy about not sharing anyone's technioques without their permission since a number of top players don't want their competition finding out how they do what they do, and we have to respect that.

And thanks for the map. You know I'd actually considered providing an "official" map and having people all use the same one just to make things easy on me, but then I decided I'd rather use the map as a tool to catch careless cheaters so didn't go with it.

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Compete in the Space Empires IV World Championship at www.twingalaxies.com.

[Drake]

quote:

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Originally posted by Nyx:
And thanks for the map. You know I'd actually considered providing an "official" map and having people all use the same one just to make things easy on me, but then I decided I'd rather use the map as a tool to catch careless cheaters so didn't go with it.

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No problem! Sorry if I ruined a cheater detection method for you. I hadn't really considered it from that perspective.

[Nyx]

No problem at all, so far cheating has been a non-issue (knock on pLastic-covered particle board). All the scores have been legit. And I don't know that everyone will take advantage of your map. Especially your two prime competitors who seem a bit micromanaged too death.

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Compete in the Space Empires IV World Championship at www.twingalaxies.com.

[geoschmo]

Amen to that Nyx. I am going to have to take a couple of week break from playing once this contest is over. I have actually had mornings were I wake up out of a sound sleep and think, "Ooo, maybe if I do this I can add a few million points to my score."

That's just sick! laf

Thanks to TG for adding some more enjoyment to an already addictive game.

And I know I will be running at least one game on Drake's map. Even if I can't work out the ringworld thing, with all those extra planets, I figure I ought to be able to break 100 Mil.

[Tomgs]

Well I will be lucky to break 100M in my game so your score looks safe for now . I didn't use emergency build as aggressively as I should. I am too used to not using things to make it easier on the AI in regular games so I didn't break that mindset enough for the contest. I definately will beat my Last game by a good margin but since I am at turn 115 I don't think I will start over again just yet. When the patch comes out I think that high score will be unmatchable because of the changes to emergency build.

I will have to take a break from the contest when the patch comes out just to see what the changes do for the game so I don't know if I will try another game or not.

[Emperor Zodd]

There should be a new competition after the patch.

[raynor]

quote:

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Originally posted by Emperor Zodd:
There should be a new competition after the patch.

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No. There shouldn't. Geoschmo, Tomgs, Drake et. al. have lost enough sleep already.

[Drake]

quote:

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Originally posted by geoschmo:
Even if I can't work out the ringworld thing, with all those extra planets, I figure I ought to be able to break 100 Mil.

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Heck, if you improve from 7M resource production to 50M, don't give all this credit to the map. I'd say the map will help with your upper limit, the 7x increase is all you.

[quote]Originally posted by Tomgs:
When the patch comes out I think that high score will be unmatchable because of the changes to emergency build. [quote]

Yeah, you're probably right. at 150% rate instead of 200%, I'd lose 2 turns for each planet just building the space yards. Other than that though it'd mainly affect my ringworld building I think. Still, those two turns early lose me over 10M points alone at the end, and that's just a minimum effect. The ringworld situation would be even worse, for a number of reasons.

Now if you could work on multiple things in the same turn it'd REALLY hurt, but as it stands, I lost a lot of extra construction time building facilities on my planets under emergency build. The change to facility construction wouldn't be affected. I'd just have to up my construction rate 6 points to compensate, so it wouldn't be that bad. (Give yourself a gold star (or a ringworld if it makes you happier, heh) if you can figure out what rate I set my const. at now from that info. )

-Drake

[raynor]

Drake,

I don't suppose you'd like to go ahead and post your turn 150 save game?